Blood Brothers- The Aftermath
by AngelOfPride
Summary: After the tragic death of the Johnstone twins, Linda has been forced to raise her daughter Annabel without a father. However, when Annabel, now a young teen, becomes resentful of the tale of her heritage that became twisted over time, Linda must put things right, bring up memories she longed to forget, and bring out the truth that everybody forgot.


Annabel Johnstone was the daughter of Linda Johnstone, and the deceased Michael Johnstone. For her life, Annabel resented her father's memory. Everybody knew the story. When she walked through the corridors in school they would whisper with no discretion. If the other girls saw her walking home, they would purposely cuddle up to their fathers who had come to collect them, ever reminding Annabel that she was alone. She hated him. She hated what he had done to her life.

At aged 13, Annabel stalked into the house after a hard day and slammed the door. Her mother, Linda was in the living room with Grandma-Mickey's mother. When they didn't notice, Annabel grasped the door handle, opened it, and slammed it harder, seeking attention to leak out her anger.

Linda got up and walked in, "Hi Sweetie. How was school?" she asked, the thick Liverpudlian accent seeping out.

"Crap." Annabel stated. Linda's dark brown eyes filled with sympathy and pain. The word simply sent a link to the plot she had been forced to play a part in.

"Come and talk to me." Linda sighed, going and sitting at the kitchen table. Annabel trudged after her, slinging her bag onto the floor as she slumped in the chair.

"Honey...what do the other kids tell ye' about your father?" Linda asked quietly.

Instant resentment filled Annabel, "They remind he how he shot a guy and got done in prison, then when he got out he went and shot his own brother out of madness."

Linda took in a shaking breath, "And do you believe it?"  
"Everybody else does, why shouldn't I?" Annabel challenged.

Linda clicked her tongue thoughtfully and sat back, counting from one to ten silently. But she wasn't a child anymore. It wouldn't work. This wasn't a game where Mickey and Eddie would just jump back onto their feet laughing.

"Well I'm going to tell you the truth." Linda said firmly, "Yer father, Mickey Johnstone, was a friend of mine our whole lives. We played as children together, eventually with your uncle Eddie too." she chuckled softly, "We were quite a three. Now, when Eddie moved with 'is family, we ended up movin' too. I started to like your dad more and more and I fell inlove with him...quite over myself for him actually. Anyway, we found Eddie again, and for four joyous years it was us three. Then, Eddie went off to uni, but not after convincing your father to talk to me about _us_"

"_Oh Eddie!" she gasped, colour flooding to her cheeks._

_The dark-haired man smiled at her softly, then to Mickey, "Go on." _

_She walked a few steps away to get her head together, and heard his reassuring words again, "Go on..."_

_She tried to not fidget in anticipation as Mickey came slowly up behind her, nerves radiating off of his body, "Erm...well, the thing is...Linda I erm..." he eventually just groaned in frustration and went on rapidly, "For Christ's sake Linda will you go out with me?!"_

_She turned around and smiled, joy in her heart. She felt affection surge through her as she saw his eyes tight shut, jaw stiff, anticipating rejection.  
"Yes." she whispered._

_Mickey opened his eyes and stared at her, "you wha'?"  
"Yes." she giggled, feeling like a little school girl._

_She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his. After a heartbeat, his nerves faded into a new confidence as he pulled her closer. It felt perfect...it felt right._

"Ok Mam, no need to get into so many details!" Annabel whined.

Linda jumped and sighed, "Sorry love. Well, I got with your father properly then. But...he got fired from his job, and I found out I was pregnant...think of it...18 and pregnant...which you should never do by the way but so far it runs in the family."

Annabel shuddered.

"Anyway, we got married. Your uncle came back, but he and Mickey had some kind of row, I wasn't there. But it turned out that Eddie had a sort of crush on me as well. But, we were on good terms, never in a proper relationship...I don't know what to call it really. But Mickey got in touch with his elder brother Sammy. Now, Sammy 'ad always been a trouble-maker. I didn't trust 'im. Never had liked him that much. But your dad did it for me...for you..."

"_No. Sammy no, I aint doin' it."_

_The older man growled in frustration, "For God's sake Mickey the shooters are just for show. Give em a fright. You'll just 'ave to stand watch. Only an hour's work." _

_Mickey glanced back up at his brother warily, and Sammy quickly went on, "Think of where you could take Linda with the money I'd give 'yeh eh?! Think how happy you'd make her!"_

_There was a silence. An intensity that would decide the end of this story. _

"_Fine. I'll do it."_

Linda sighed again. She hadn't heard from Sammy since the incident. If he'd tried to contact them, nobody ever answered his calls.

"So what happened then?" Annabel asked.

"Well..." Linda frowned as she tried to reach the memory she had shaken off...or tried to shake off, "Well...Sammy shot a guy and yer' dad took the fall. When he was caught by the police...Sammy slunk off and we 'aint seen 'im since. Your dad was stuck in jail for a few years and he started suffering from depression." her voice began to fill with bitterness, "That damned doctor put him on pills to help 'im recover. But they didn't help him at all! When he got out early, they'd made 'im worse! Poor man was addicted to 'em. It was killing us both..."

"_What're ya looking you?"_

"_You know what I'm lookin' for..."_

_She sighed, crouching beside her husband as he frantically rummaged through the bag, "Mickey..."  
"I need 'em Linda! Where are the tablets?!"  
"You don't need 'em!" she pressed, "You promised!"  
His face was unfamiliar, different, "I know I did, but I can't do it!" Tears began to fill his dark eyes, "I tried! Last week! But by the evenin' I was shakin' and I couldn't think! Please Linda, where are they!?"_

"_Mickey, look, we've sorted everything out! We're okay now. We got the house, a job for you-"_

"_WE?!" he burst into a sudden rage with blood-shot eyes, "We!? That's the problem! I aint sorted nothing! The house, the job, that was all cos of you and your Lyons friend! I need the tablets Linda!"_

"_And what bout what I need!?" She cried, "I need YOU Mickey! But when you take those things...when you have them inside you...i can't even see yer." her voice cracked in grief._

"_That's why I take 'em." he whimpered, suddenly looking small and vulnerable, "To be invisible...so that nobody can see me..."  
Linda closed her eyes, trying to stay strong, but he sounded so broken..._

"_Please Linda...please..."_

_With a sigh of defeat, she held out her hand, not opening her eyes. But she felt the wretched pills gently pulled out of her grasp. And as she let them go, she let the last chance of getting her love back too._


End file.
